I’m not sure that all of the lids on these vintage Consol jars are original, but they fit just fine, and on the plus side they have glass inserts, as opposed to the metal inserts that you buy today, plus one of them has a lovely ‘Consol’ branded insert, which is quite lovely! The metal lids are a bit worn, and I think there’s a small chip on the one rim, but the condition of the jars is commiserate with their age.

A great set of bottles for your pantry or kitchen shelves.

Dimensions: Each jar measures 23cm tall x 11cm in diameter

Price: R120 each

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I love the crazy retro pattern on these Consol tumblers! They’re not that different in design to the glasses that you can buy today, but the pattern makes them stand out, and the packaging gives a hint that they’re not that new – someone recently pointed out that you don’t really see Afrikaans printed on packaging anymore (or do you? I’m not entirely certain!. Regardless I’m fairly confident that they’re not modern, and even if they are they’re still pretty cool!

Dimensions: Each glass measures 11.5cm tall x 7cm in diameter

Price: R120 for the set

Mint puts up four new items every weekday. The first post goes up at 07h00, the second at 08h00 and the third and fourth at 08h30. You can subscribe to our daily email which goes out at around 09h00 by clicking on the pink envelope on the right hand side of the blog(more…)

I learned something interesting from these Consol tumblers: when the seller showed them to me I turned my nose up at them because I’d bought an identical set of these glasses a few years back from Mr Price, or somewhere similar, I can’t quite remember. I promptly informed the poor lady that her ‘retro’ glasses were in fact new – at which point she produced a photograph of a letter that she had found with the glasses dating to the early 1980s. The glasses were a gift from her cousin to her mother, and the note (which was now 30 years old!) was a thank you letter accompanying the glasses. So it seems that glass makers keep old patterns and reproduce them when they come back into fashion. Of course it makes perfect sense, I’d just never thought about it! And when I look at the faux-wood cardboard packaging, it does seem very ’80s, so the whole story ties together!

Of course once I realised that they weren’t new I fell head over heels in love with them! They’re still quite cheaply produced, but the colours and pattern are fantastic! And it doesn’t hurt matters that they’re still in their (rather terrible!) original packaging.

Dimensions: Each glass measures 12.5cm tall x 6.5cm in diameter

Price: R130 for the set

Mint puts up four new items every weekday. The first post goes up at 07h00, the second at 08h00 and the third and fourth at 08h30. You can subscribe to our daily email which goes out at around 09h00 by clicking on the pink envelope on the right hand side of the blog(more…)

These Consol kitchen jars aren’t of the same vintage, but I don’t think that you’d really notice that once they’re filled and sitting in your pantry. My brother has the most impressive collection of jars filled with all sorts of interesting ingredients in his pantry cupboard and they look fantastic all grouped together! And that’s probably they type of thing that these jars are best suited to – storage for ingredients rather than everyday staples. The lids are in two parts, a metal ring and a glass insert, which makes them a little finicky for everyday use – although I suppose it’s not the end of the world if it takes you a few seconds longer to get to your teabags!

Note: The metal ring on the larger jar is a bit rusty and there’s some minor damage to the rim.

Mint puts up four new items every weekday. The first post goes up at 07h00, the second at 08h00 and the third and fourth at 08h30. You can subscribe to our daily email which goes out at around 09h00 by clicking on the pink envelope on the right hand side of the blog(more…)

I’m not often tempted to hold onto things, but when it comes to blue glass jars it’s a completely different story – whoever buys this blue Atlas jar might well have to wrestle me for it! Of course I’m joking (well, kind of), but it really is something quite special, and not a jar that you come across that often. Even the small Ball and Consol jars are fairly rare. I love the full sized jars, but these smaller versions are somehow a bit more special – and surprisingly handy! You can use them to store everything from rubber bands (I have a collection of these jars that I use for all my stationery) to sugar for your tea or chia seeds for your muesli!

Note: The Atlas jar has lost its original lid and now has a Ball jar lid.

Dimensions: Each jar measures approx. 10cm tall x 9cm in diameter

Prices:

Consol jar – R85;

Atlas jar – R130;

Balll jar – R95

Note: Mint puts up four new items every weekday. The first post goes up at 07h00, the second at 08h00 and the third and fourth at 08h30. You can subscribe to our daily email which goes out at around 09h00 by clicking on the pink envelope on the right hand side of the blog

I’m never certain how practical these glass lids are, but they sure are attractive, and I suppose if you use the jar to store something that you don’t have to access everyday then it’s not the end of the world if it takes you a bit longer to open it! Or if you’re really into your home industries then you could use the jar for it’s original purpose – canning home made fruits and marmalade – although then you’d need to buy yourself a rubber seal from the Consol factory shop. The rubber ring on the underside of the lid creates a hermetic seal so that the jar is airtight and preserves your delicious jam!

Dimensions: 18cm tall x 9cm in diameter

Price: R90

Mint puts up four new items every weekday. The first post goes up at 07h00, the second at 08h00 and the third and fourth at 08h30. You can subscribe to our daily email which goes out at around 09h00 by clicking on the pink envelope on the right hand side of the blog